Bristol’s Bottle Yard Studios, where scenes for Poldark, Broadchurch and Wolf Hall have been filmed recently, has a new, more unusual starring role – as the base for the latest reboot of cult game show The Crystal Maze.
Devoted fans were delighted to see the return of the iconic show to Channel 4 last Friday night for the first in a new series. 
But for The Bottle Yard the hard work is already over, having been home to nearly 140 production staff who shot 100-plus hours of film while based there during April and May.
Unused parts of the South Bristol studios were called into action for the massive task, with a new purpose-built maze spanning over 30,000 sq ft built in an area not previously used for filming, created by original Crystal Maze designer James Dillon (The Mighty Boosh, The Royle Family).
Two shows a day were filmed at the studios in an intense schedule. Presented by new ‘maze master’ Richard Ayoade, pictured above, the new series features 20 episodes, including five celebrity specials and 15 involving members of the public.
Some 41 new games were devised for the series and audiences can look forward to celebrity cameos from comedian Adam Buxton dishing out riddles as a head in a jar and actress Jessica Hynes as a knight guarding the Medieval Zone.
More than 30,000 people applied to take part in the show when it was announced in January, with 15 teams making it through the audition process. 
Executive producer Neale Simpson was delighted with the facilities at The Bottle Yard.
“Being at The Bottle Yard enabled us to do justice to what we wanted to keep from the original show, whilst at the same time pushing it forward in the places we felt there was an opportunity to,” he said.
“Not only did we have the space to build a maze that’s bigger and better than before, we could also navigate two jibs and a technocrane around the four Zones and the Dome [pictured above]. The studios’ infrastructure was also a real gamechanger, with workshops, gallery facilities and production offices all close by. We were also able to lean on the character of the building and incorporate elements of it into the set, like the pillars which feature in the Industrial Zone [pictured below].
“From day one the whole Bottle Yard team were so enthusiastic about us being here. When making a show like this, there are so many logistical challenges to overcome under tight schedules and it makes a world of difference to work in a place where you know people have got your back. It was such a pleasure to do it here and if we get the chance to make more then hopefully we’ll be back again soon.” 
The Bottle Yard Studios’ site director Fiona Francombe added: “I’ll never forget the moment that James rolled out his plans for the set build in an early planning meeting and the realisation of his new maze at The Bottle Yard began.
“The ingenious creativity and passion that filled the room at that point continued throughout the construction journey and into production. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with everyone involved on this truly ambitious show and a privilege to be home to the new Maze, which I have no doubt will capture the imagination of audiences both old and new.”
During filming of The Crystal Maze, The Bottle Yard Studios was home to:
- A 32,500 sq ft maze
- 136 production staff producing over 100 hours of filming
- A completely reinvented Crystal Dome covered with ‘intelligent LED’ lighting frame that can be sequenced to create a visual spectacle, a newly designed wind system and access for wheelchairs
- A newly designed Future Zone with rotating floor
- 18 tonnes of sand in the Aztec Zone
- 5,600 gallons of water to fill the waterfall and water rooms
- 200 candles and 25 flaming torches in the Medieval Zone
- 16,000 sq ft of scenic backdrop
- 200-plus plants
- 40 LED panels
The Bottle Yard Studios, the largest complex of its kind in the West of England, is a Bristol City Council initiative on the site of a former winery and bottling plant. It has eight stages as well as facilities ranging from a giant green screen studio and extensive back lot, to costume and make-up rooms, dressing-rooms, storage, private roadways and parking.
Some 19 on-site tenants deliver a host of services including creative, digital, technical and audio/visual expertise, grips, transport, structural, fire and safety assistance.
All images courtesy of Channel 4.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH: The Crystal Maze: Remaking a cult classic at The Bottle Yard Studios Made by students of Screenology film school in Bristol: Courtesy of The Bottle Yard Studios.
